UKZN at the Forefront of Shaping Business Leaders

BY: .

The Graduate School of Business and Leadership’s (GSB&L) commitment to training and developing leaders to become versatile and successful in all spheres of life as well as being passionate about the social and local economic development of South Africa was evident when three members of the Nedbank management team graduated with MBA degrees.

The three were Nedbank Area Manager, Mr Calvin Singh; Nedbank’s Musgrave Bank Branch Manager, Ms Mogna Govender; and Nedbank Area Manager, Ms Melanie Reddy.

Singh tackled an MBA study on the Financial Education of new Nedbank clients.

The need for financial literacy is close to Singh’s heart - ‘I know that helping people to financial fitness is a life skill, as it can help eradicate poverty, unemployment and unhappy families amongst many other social challenges today. Certainly being financially smart has helped me out of poverty and it will definitely help many others.’

It was a double celebration for Singh whose daughter also graduated in the College of Humanities on 12 April.

Govender’s dissertation focussed on the effect of customer service on customer loyalty in the fiercely competitive retail banking environment. Her study was motivated by the global and local competition which has increased the importance of quality service, customer satisfaction and subsequently customer loyalty, towards creating a sustainable competitive advantage.

On her plans for the future she said: ‘I am going to pursue Doctoral studies in Business Administration. I think it is imperative that the leadership of any organisation be informed about the latest trends and developments relating to their business.’

Reddy’s dissertation was titled: “Managing the Talent Pipeline in a Retail Bank Contact Centre in KwaZulu-Natal: A Case Study”. The purpose of her study was to investigate the role of talent management in the Nedbank Contact Centre and how this could contribute to the retention, attraction and commitment of employees.

On the value of her studies to her work she said: ‘Being a Manager of others is a tough role and the findings of my research have helped me to better understand our employees.  I have personally implemented the recommendations in my own area and have seen great results.’ 

The Nedbank trio agreed that the MBA journey was an arduous one but also one of the most gratifying experiences of their lives.

They were all grateful to Nedbank for investing in their careers and appreciated the support of their families and their supervisor, Dr Abdul Kader of the GSB&L.

-          Hazel Langa